Blooming closing of Asian games on a boat-shaped island

Guangzhou: Today on Saturday the 16th Asian Games officially closed on in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou with a rousing and colourful outdoor spectacular.

The closing ceremony was held not inside a stadium but on a boat-shaped island in the middle of the Pearl River, which meanders through the heart of China’s third-largest city.

Guangzhou was handing over the Asian Games torch to the South Korean city of Incheon, which will host the four-yearly multi-sports event in 2014.

Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmed Al Fahad Al Sabah said, “The 16th Asian Games, which has been a huge success, comes to an end.”

“This edition of the Games has, without a doubt, been one of the most outstanding in the history of the event.”
During the outstanding closing thousands of fireworks, in green, red, gold and silver, boomed out across the vast city’s hazy skyline.

With music and dance from India, Lebanon, Japan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia the November 12 opening ceremony showcased the local Lingnan culture, Saturday’s extravaganza on Haixinsha Island celebrated Asia’s diverse cultures,
In front of the crowd opened up a stage with eight huge screens shaped like the sails of a ship, as boats decked out in bright lights and with the names of each of the 45 competing nations or territories drifted up and down the river.

Here police undertook a massive security operation that saw roads closed and some shops and businesses shuttered.City chiefs said the outside venue made it more tricky to secure than if it was inside a stadium.